Germany · German launch in October 1970 · base 55 kW 1600 produced 1970–1975

Volkswagen K 70 1600

Volkswagen's first production front-wheel-drive, water-cooled car began life at NSU, then arrived with a roomy cabin and a 600-litre boot.

Front-wheel-drive family saloon

Representative Volkswagen K 70; filename says 1970, but the Commons description does not establish the individual car year or 55 kW tune.

Exterior · Photo shows Representative Volkswagen K 70; filename says 1970, but the Commons description does not establish the individual car year or 55 kW tune.. representative-or-limited
VW K70 yellow 1970 hl TCE.jpg · Stahlkocher · CC BY-SA 3.0

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A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

NSU had nearly finished the K 70 when its business was folded into the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen completed the project, built a new plant at Salzgitter and put the first cars into production on 7 August 1970 before the German market launch that October. This profile is the base 75 PS 1600, one of two 1.6-litre launch tunes, and not the later 100 PS K 70 LS.

Look a little closer.

Its boot held 600 litres—an enormous box for luggage even though the K 70 was not a hatchback.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

A Volkswagen designed somewhere else

The car began as the NSU 1700 and then NSU K 70, shaped by NSU chief designer Claus Luthe. When Volkswagen acquired the almost production-ready project, it finished the car in Wolfsburg and sold it as a Volkswagen. That is why the K 70 looks and works so differently from the rear-engined Volkswagens beside it in 1970.

Source: Volkswagen Newsroom · K 70 (1970–1975) ↗

One name, two launch engines

Both launch engines displaced 1,605 cc, but the base car made 55 kW / 75 PS and 123 Nm. The stronger version made 66 kW / 90 PS and used twin carburettors. Keeping those tunes separate matters: the 158 km/h figure in Volkswagen's corporate chronology describes the K 70 range, not necessarily this base car under identical test conditions.

Source: Volkswagen Newsroom · Engine versions K 70 profile ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-01.

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